Warsaw

Warsaw is located in the eastern portion of Poland and is its capital. The city was founded around 1300 C.E. as a small trading settlement, and it slowly grew into a sizeable city.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/636101/Warsaw# In 1526 C.E, it was incorporated into the kingdom of Poland. Almost a century later in 1611 C.E, it became the capital.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/636101/Warsaw In the next several hundred years, Warsaw experienced periods of prosperity interspersed with ones of war and strife. Sweden constantly invaded and sacked Warsaw, stealing valuable goods and leaving the city and its inhabitants bereft. http://www.e-warsaw.pl/miasto/historia.htm The city was also torn apart by World War II, when over 600,000 of its citizens were killed and 80% of the buildings were burned to the ground. This gave Warsaw the nickname, “The Phoenix City”, as it literally rose from the ashes of the fire. After the end of the Cold War in 1989, Warsaw recovered from its devastation and became a large market in Europe. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/636101/Warsaw

In 2008, Warsaw was ranked one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in, putting it on the same level as cities like Rome and Prague. http://www.economist.com/node/8860366?story_id=8860366 Its business community’s growth has skyrocketed and continues to flourish. The unemployment rate in the city is the lowest in Poland, at 5.1% in 2005. http://www.e-warsaw.pl/ekonomia/struktura.htm The Warsaw Stock Exchange is one of the largest in the region, with thousands of businesses registered. http://www.warsawvoice.pl/WVpage/pages/article.php/18028/article

Since Warsaw’s founding the city has experienced plagues, destructive fires, and many invasions. With its central location between large countries like France, Germany, Russia and Sweden, Warsaw was conquered many times. Sweden invaded Poland in 1655, and destroyed most of the city in the next five years.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/636101/Warsaw

After Sweden's army was defeated and cast out in 1660, Warsaw grew into a large city. This growth was halted by the partition of Poland in 1795. Warsaw was put under Prussian rule and was reduced to a small provincial town. This only lasted for a few years since Napoleon Bonaparte came to power in 1807 and created the Duchy of Warsaw, reinstating the city as the capital of Poland.http://www.e-warsaw.pl/miasto/historia.htm Russia defeated Napoleon’s army soon after, leaving Warsaw in Russia’s possession. It flourished under Russia’s rule, uprising many times to fight the rule of the larger country. Finally, after World War I the city gained independence again as the capital of Poland.http://www.e-warsaw.pl/miasto/historia.htm

Warsaw was one of the first targets of Nazi Germany during World War II. In their siege of Warsaw in 1939, thousands of citizens were killed or wounded. Many more were taken for German labor or concentration camps. The Jewish community of Warsaw was the largest in the world at this time, and many of them were immediately sent to the camps. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/636101/Warsaw The rest of the Jews were confined to the Warsaw Ghetto, where disease and starvation killed many more before they were shipped to concentration camps. This lasted for four years, until the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943. The uprising was put down after 63 days of fighting. After that incident, the ghetto was destroyed.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/636101/Warsaw

At the end of World War II Warsaw was the center of Poland’s resistance. The Warsaw Uprising of 1944 was strong and almost succeeded. When the Soviet army defeated the Nazis and entered Warsaw a year later, they found almost complete destruction. Free from the oppression of the Nazi army, Warsaw flourished and started reconstruction of the broken city.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/636101/Warsaw

Although it is a large metropolitan area, 24% of the city area is park land. The Kampinoski Park, in the northwest part of Warsaw, has many walking trails and natural wildlife. http://www.warsaw-hotel-guide.net/en/warsaw-tourist-information/geography-warsaw.php

The weather in Warsaw is continental, with cold winters and mild summers. The winters are very snowy and sometimes the temperature can drop to -4 °F while the temperature in summer rarely exceeds 90 °F.http://www.warsaw-hotel-guide.net/en/warsaw-tourist-information/climate-and-weather-in-warsaw.php

• Warsaw Rising Museum: Opened in 2004 on the anniversary of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, this Museum honors the Polish resistance who fought back against the Nazis occupying the city. http://www.warsaw-life.com/poland/warsaw-rising-museum
• Royal Castle: Built from 1589-1619 C.E. by King Sigmund III, this marked the official movement of the capital of Poland from Krakow to Warsaw. The original castle was nearly destroyed during the Warsaw Uprising but was rebuilt, and now it is a museum filled with Poland’s history. http://www.castles.info/poland/royal-castle-warsaw/
• Old Town Market Square: This Square was built at the same time the city was founded. Like a lot of the city, the original buildings were destroyed in 1944. The reconstruction took places from 1948-1953. In the square there is also a statue of the Warsaw Mermaid, the symbol for the city since the mid 14th century. http://www.um.warszawa.pl/v_syrenka/perelki/index_en.php?mi_id=47&dz_id=2
• Warsaw Barbican: This barbican, a semi-circular fortified outpost, used to be part of the wall surrounding the city. Today it is a gateway between the old and new towns of Warsaw. http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Poland/Wojewodztwo_Mazowieckie/Warsaw-468976/Things_To_Do-Warsaw-Barbican-BR-1.html
• Memorial to the Heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto: This monument was built to honor the Polish Jews who fought back against the Nazis in April and May of 1943. After the inevitable win in the Nazi’s favor, the Ghetto was torn down. Now, the memorial stands at the site of the original Ghetto in Old Town. http://www.tripwiser.com/trip_thing_to_do-Monument_Heroes_Warsaw_Ghetto_Warsaw_Poland?itiNodeId=8a8c80fe1580cb7301158196ff8779a1&eType=activity

• Marie Curie: chemisthttp://www.nndb.com/geo/825/000069618/
• Frédéric François Chopin: composer http://www.classicalarchives.com/chopin.html
• Tamara de Lempicka: artist http://www.tamara-de-lempicka.org/
• Issac Bashevis Singer: writer http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1978/singer-bio.html